1. Field of the Invention.
The invention relates generally to gangplanks for pleasure craft and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, it relates to an improved form of extendable gangplank for use in combination with a pontoon-type barge or boat.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
The prior art includes numerous types of gangway and other boarding structure for use with both small and large water craft, some of which are quite old in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,615 discloses a bow gangplank of considerably different structure and intended for different usage. This patent teaches a gangplank that is intended for offshore oil rig usage when encountering considerable wave action, and it employs a springloaded body that will elongate and shorten in accordance with wave inducements. The gangplank itself is not controllable from the boat but must be manipulated and maintained in position between the rig platform and docking vessel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,967 discloses a boat with a flip-over bow gangplank wherein the gangplank in the stowed position is compactly maintained in trim against the bow form of the vessel. In docking, the gangplank is simply swung up and over to extend forward of the vessel onto a docking structure.